Kibaki Funeral: Tanzania declares two days of national mourning, flags to fly at half-mast

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu. [File, Standard]

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu has declared two days of national mourning in honour of Kenya’s third President Mwai Kibaki.

The country will mark the mourning period on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30.

In a press statement dated Thursday, April 28, 2022, Zuhura Yunus, Tanzania’s Director of Presidential Communications, said: “During the two-day national mourning, the Tanzanian flag shall fly at half-mast across the entire territory of the country and all Tanzanian diplomatic missions abroad.”

“President Samia conveyed het heartfelt condolences to the people of Kenya, and urged Tanzanians to join in solidarity with their neighbours during this difficult period as they mourn the death of their former leader,” said Yunus.

Today (Friday, April 29), Kenya marks a national holiday as the State Funeral service of the country’s third President is being held at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

Suluhu sent her deputy, Philip Mpango, to the April 29 State Funeral service.

At least three sitting presidents confirmed they will attend Kibaki’s State Funeral service at the Nyayo National Stadium.

The three are South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir Mayardit and Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde.

Former Malawi President Joyce Banda will also attend the function.

Besides Tanzania’s Vice-President Mpango, two more VPs also confirmed attendance. They are Jessica Alupo of Uganda and Constantino Chiwenga of Zimbabwe.

Rwanda’s Prime Minister Édouard Ngirente will also be in attendance.

Others are the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, Sri Lanka’s Special Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake, South Africa’s International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor and South Sudan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mayiik Ayii Deng.

Kibaki, who died aged 90 on April 22, will be buried on Saturday, April 30 at his Kanyange Village home in Othaya, Nyeri County. The ex-president died while receiving treatment at the Nairobi Hospital after three months of illness.

Kibaki, who ruled between 2003 and 2013, is survived by four children.

His wife, Lucy Kibaki, died on April 26, 2016 aged 80. She died while receiving treatment at the Bupa Cromwell Hospital in London, United Kingdom.